Vartan Gregorian reads statement on behalf of 13 memorial jurors

Water cascading gently -- over stone squares, over black granite etched with the names of the dead; reflecting pools filling or surrounding the footprints of the Twin Towers; columns of stone or glass or light, rising from the ground or projecting from the ceiling; an ever-changing visual roll of those killed on 9/11; trees and grass at the edge and in the main: These and other elements comprise the eight proposed designs for a permanent memorial at the World Trade Center site.

Praising the "humanity" that informs them and the process that led to their selection, rebuilding officials unveiled the finalists in the highly publicized competition at a media conference yesterday at Lower Manhattan's Winter Garden. They will remain on display there at least until a single winning design is selected, and perhaps longer.

The long-awaited designs propose a diverse slate of programs to fill four-plus acres in remembrance of the more than 2,900 victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

To view the eight design finalists, click here.

The designers, whose submissions were judged anonymously, represent a range of ages, training, backgrounds, and geographic diversity. Five entries are from individuals or teams based in New York, the other three entries came from Chicago, Houston, and Paris.

The selection followed hundreds of hours of consideration and deliberation by a distinguished 13-member jury. Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation and the only jury member in attendance, spoke of the jurists' "hours of frank discussions, agreements and disagreements -- always with the goal of arriving at common ground."

LDMC President Kevin Rampe announced selection of eight finalists in memorial competition

He suggested that the final designs shared certain characteristics: "They strive neither to overwhelm the visitor nor their immediate surroundings. They aspire to soar -- not by competing with the soaring skyline of New York but rather by creating spaces that strive to reconcile vertical and horizontal, green and concrete, contemplation and inspiration. They allow for the change of seasons, the passage of years, and evolution over time. They emphasize the process of memorialization over their own grandeur and present themselves as living landscapes of living memory that both connect us to our past and carry us forward into the decades ahead."

Gregorian thanked victims' families, community members, elected officials and others for their input. "Each of them assured us that while they have their own individual views, they will respect and honor the jury's decision," he said.

Rising to the challenge

In introductory remarks, LMDC President Kevin Rampe noted that the great numbers who have avidly followed the memorial process created "an impossible challenge" for would-be designers -- but one they did not face alone.

"To guide the way," Rampe said, designers "had a blueprint: the hopes and aspirations of the public, embodied in the competition mission statement and program."

Among other things, the program that guided the competition called for recognition of the individual victims of the attacks; space for quiet contemplation; an area for families and loved ones of victims; a location for the interment of unidentified remains, and delineation of the footprints of the two WTC towers.

Original presentation boards show design concepts as originally submitted

LMDC Chairman John Whitehead noted that, in accordance with the guidelines, proposals that exceeded stated limits but that had "a well-conceived purpose and well-executed results" were in fact considered. It is not immediately clear to what extent, if any, the eight finalists departed from the rules of the competition.

Gregorian noted that the winning design is likely to be modified further from its present form. Yet to be resolved are the issues related to ordering of victims' names, access to the site's bedrock foundation, and the relationship between the memorial and an interpretive museum slated for the site. The LMDC is committed to providing access to the foundation regardless of the design chosen, Rampe said.

Reflecting, drawing inspiration

LMDC officials commented on the actual designs only in the most general terms. Whitehead, for one, noted that the various selected entries "draw upon elements of light, water, earth, and life itself. With these simple yet profound elements," he said, they offer "a unique place for us to contemplate, reflect, and seek our own peace with the tragic events of September 11.

"Let us ponder not only what the designs mean to us now but also what they will mean to our children and our grandchildren," he added. "Generations to come will see the memorial as a reminder than America was attacked but not bowed, and heroes were lost but not forgotten."

Whitehead also invoked Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and noted: "Let us honor those we have lost and let us also resolve to reaffirm the principles that are the core of our city, our state, and the nation."

LMDC Chairman John Whitehead: "Heroes were lost but not forgotten."

The jury retains sole responsibility for selecting the final design, several officials stressed. There remains no timetable for selection of a final design: Jurists will have "however long it takes them," Rampe said.

Once the jury concludes its work, the memorial design will be integrated with the master plan for the site.

Daniel Libeskind, who designed the site master plan, was present. He said he was confident that any one of the designs could be successfully incorporated into the site's master plan.

"I think it's been an amazing process," Libeskind said. "I haven't studied any of them in detail, but I think the array is very impressive."

Other design professionals who have followed the process closely also refrained from commenting until they had more time to look at the designs. Initiatives like Imagine New York and New York New Visions are already planning to review the designs and issue reports within a few weeks.

Rick Bell, director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, praised the independent jury process and the results to date. "I feel very good about how this process has led to very creative [design] solutions," he said. "You really have to get into how it all ties together with the site plan [but] it's very, very gratifying from a process point of view… that people are going to be able to form their own opinions."